I have NEVER been more glad to be home that I am today... It seems like the last 24 hours have lasted a lifetime. We're all exhausted, and I'm so relieved that Andrew's surgery is behind us.
I'm too tired to fill you in on all the details tonight, but just wanted to let you know that we're home, Andrew is covering, and resting comfortably. Considering the amount of pain he has to be in, he's in a remarkably good mood -- smiling, wanting to play, and eating some. Thankfully the pain medication is making him sleepy and helping him to rest.
I have a feeling it's going to be a rough couple of days... Details to come, but tonight I'm off to bed.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The countdown begins...
Andrew's surgery date is fast approaching, and I've got a million things to do before we head over to Iowa City... We've known all along that it would be on April 30th, but they won't confirm the exact time until the day before.
Anyway, I got a call from the University Hospital on Monday and found out that his surgery will most likely be first thing in the morning on Thursday, which means we'll need to arrive at the hospital at 5:30 am. We immediately decided that it would be best to get a hotel! So, Matt's parents are coming down tomorrow afternoon and spending the night with Katherine and Caleb.
Andrea is going to take Caleb for a couple of hours in the morning so that I can take Andrew to Flash and get his pictures taken. I got him the cutest little Gymbo outfit today, so he should look super dooper handsome!! Then we're all going to have lunch together (I'm picking up Jimmy John's on the way home) and Caleb and I are going home to get things in order. We made banana bread for breakfast and reverse chocolate chip cookies (chocolate cookies with white chips) for a treat. Tomorrow afternoon we're going to get a roast and all the fixins together so that all Fran has to do is plug in the crock pot Thursday morning. That way they'll have dinner taken care of, and little miss picky (aka Katherine) will have something acceptable to eat for dinner.
I'm so nervous about this surgery. He should be in surgery between 3 and 4 hours. Oh, and they've warned me about the recovery -- the bladder spasms, uncontrollable crying, a catheter for two weeks. Oh yea... these next two weeks are going to be a blast. My heart just breaks for the poor little guy... The list of things he can't do is much longer than the list of things he can... UUUUGH!
More to come.
Anyway, I got a call from the University Hospital on Monday and found out that his surgery will most likely be first thing in the morning on Thursday, which means we'll need to arrive at the hospital at 5:30 am. We immediately decided that it would be best to get a hotel! So, Matt's parents are coming down tomorrow afternoon and spending the night with Katherine and Caleb.
Andrea is going to take Caleb for a couple of hours in the morning so that I can take Andrew to Flash and get his pictures taken. I got him the cutest little Gymbo outfit today, so he should look super dooper handsome!! Then we're all going to have lunch together (I'm picking up Jimmy John's on the way home) and Caleb and I are going home to get things in order. We made banana bread for breakfast and reverse chocolate chip cookies (chocolate cookies with white chips) for a treat. Tomorrow afternoon we're going to get a roast and all the fixins together so that all Fran has to do is plug in the crock pot Thursday morning. That way they'll have dinner taken care of, and little miss picky (aka Katherine) will have something acceptable to eat for dinner.
I'm so nervous about this surgery. He should be in surgery between 3 and 4 hours. Oh, and they've warned me about the recovery -- the bladder spasms, uncontrollable crying, a catheter for two weeks. Oh yea... these next two weeks are going to be a blast. My heart just breaks for the poor little guy... The list of things he can't do is much longer than the list of things he can... UUUUGH!
More to come.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
All is well...
As a little background, our bedroom is the hub of activity in the morning. It's where the kids and I cuddle before we start our day, they eat their breakfast (I feed them breakfast in bed every morning), they get dressed in here, brush their teeth, etc.... Really, all they do is wake up and stumble into our room in the morning. Everything they need is in there. They only leave when I have to force them out the door to take Katherine to school.
So back to this morning... By the time the sun rose, Caleb had abandoned the bed on the floor that Matt made him (mostly because he had puked so many times that there was nothing left of it) and crawled in bed with us. I got up as usual and carried Katherine into our room, put a show on for her, and went downstairs to make her pancakes. Caleb was still passed out in bed beside her. I came upstairs and we chatted and cuddled while she ate. I left the room to grab her clothes, and while I was gone, Caleb had woken up and downed her entire cup of water. I nearly had a heart attack. All night long, he had thrown up the tiniest amounts of water and now he chugs 8+ ounces.... Lord have mercy! In a few minutes we had to jump in the car... I just about had a panic attack! The thought of puke all over the car about sent me over the edge. I can handle a lot of things -- puke all over the car -- not so much!
So off we went to school and to bring Riley down to the groomer. Since we'd be gone for a while, I made him bring a bucket "just in case" and wouldn't let him eat. The poor kid was starving! We were gone for about 45 minutes, and thankfully nothing. When we got home he begged for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so I made him one, and then got some puzzles and we did them on the hardwood floor. After all, if the worse case scenario were to happen, vomit is much easier to clean on hardwood than carpet...
Anyway, Caleb is completely better. He's eaten like a horse all day, had tons of energy and even played outside tonight. I'm not sure what happened, but after all the chaos last night, he seems to have made a complete recovery sometime between 5 am and 8 am.
Thank goodness!! I'm so ready to enjoy the nice weather tomorrow!!
So back to this morning... By the time the sun rose, Caleb had abandoned the bed on the floor that Matt made him (mostly because he had puked so many times that there was nothing left of it) and crawled in bed with us. I got up as usual and carried Katherine into our room, put a show on for her, and went downstairs to make her pancakes. Caleb was still passed out in bed beside her. I came upstairs and we chatted and cuddled while she ate. I left the room to grab her clothes, and while I was gone, Caleb had woken up and downed her entire cup of water. I nearly had a heart attack. All night long, he had thrown up the tiniest amounts of water and now he chugs 8+ ounces.... Lord have mercy! In a few minutes we had to jump in the car... I just about had a panic attack! The thought of puke all over the car about sent me over the edge. I can handle a lot of things -- puke all over the car -- not so much!
So off we went to school and to bring Riley down to the groomer. Since we'd be gone for a while, I made him bring a bucket "just in case" and wouldn't let him eat. The poor kid was starving! We were gone for about 45 minutes, and thankfully nothing. When we got home he begged for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so I made him one, and then got some puzzles and we did them on the hardwood floor. After all, if the worse case scenario were to happen, vomit is much easier to clean on hardwood than carpet...
Anyway, Caleb is completely better. He's eaten like a horse all day, had tons of energy and even played outside tonight. I'm not sure what happened, but after all the chaos last night, he seems to have made a complete recovery sometime between 5 am and 8 am.
Thank goodness!! I'm so ready to enjoy the nice weather tomorrow!!
Still sleeping...
Caleb looks terrible. He's pale and almost gray in color. His poor little eyes have bags under them, and he's passed out in my bed. He begged for milk all night long, but I just couldn't give it to him, as he threw up even the tiniest amounts of water.
I'm going to have to wake him up soon. I need to drive Katherine to school and then drop Riley off at the groomer. I'm just hoping that he doesn't get sick in the car. UUUUUGH. I can't even imagine!
Oh, and would you know.... as soon as the nice weather hits again, someone in this house is sick! UUUUGH... I'm going to lose my mind!
I'm going to have to wake him up soon. I need to drive Katherine to school and then drop Riley off at the groomer. I'm just hoping that he doesn't get sick in the car. UUUUUGH. I can't even imagine!
Oh, and would you know.... as soon as the nice weather hits again, someone in this house is sick! UUUUGH... I'm going to lose my mind!
Please...
.... trust me when I tell you that there is absolutely NOTHING in the world like needing to take a shower at 2 am because you just got puked on.
UUUUGH.... Caleb definitely has the flu. I called the doctor and he ruled out a concussion -- evidently the timing was coincidental.
So after yet another change of the sheets, and a shower on my part, we're ready to try this whole sleep thing again. But really.... I'm almost too tired to fall asleep, or afraid what'll happen if I do....
UUUUGH.... Caleb definitely has the flu. I called the doctor and he ruled out a concussion -- evidently the timing was coincidental.
So after yet another change of the sheets, and a shower on my part, we're ready to try this whole sleep thing again. But really.... I'm almost too tired to fall asleep, or afraid what'll happen if I do....
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
LOOOONG night....
Tonight after gymnastics Katherine and I went to my mom's house to pick up Caleb (he always stays with her on Tuesday nights while we head down to Chow's) and Matt grabbed some take-out. We sat down to eat, and after we were done, Katherine and Matt went outside to play with the neighbor kids. Since Caleb hadn't eaten well all day, I made him stay inside with me and eat a few bites before he joined the other kids. Now... I am most definitely not a "clean plate" kind of mom. I don't shove food down their throats or make them eat certain things. However, tonight of ALL nights, I insisted Caleb eat before he went outside to play.
Wow.... do I feel horrible now.....
I'm not exactly sure when happened, but somehow, Caleb and Walker collided and both took pretty good blows to head. All of a sudden, Andrea comes running up the deck steps to get me. I hand her Andrew and find Matt holding Caleb. He's bawling, bloody and has thrown up twice.... once on Matt, once in the lawn. Fun times, I tell ya!!
We both immediately assume that he threw up because he was so upset, so Matt took him upstairs and put him in the bathtub. After he got cleaned up, teeth brushed, and jammies on, Matt settled him into our bed and put on a movie for him. Shortly thereafter, he threw up again, and this time it was a TON! UUUUGH.
So, we change the sheets and fix him a make shift bed on our floor. Since Andrew can't get anywhere near any type of illness this week (his surgery is next Thursday), I'm trying to keep them as "separate" as possible, while still keeping an eye on them both.
A few minutes ago, he threw up a fourth time. I feel so bad for him. He's tired, crying, begging for milk, and forced to get up so we can change the sheets AGAIN.
To top it all off, Matt is in some management seminar all day tomorrow, which means he's unreachable. UUUUUUGH. The next 24 hours could be really long. I just pray the rest of us escape this!
Wow.... do I feel horrible now.....
I'm not exactly sure when happened, but somehow, Caleb and Walker collided and both took pretty good blows to head. All of a sudden, Andrea comes running up the deck steps to get me. I hand her Andrew and find Matt holding Caleb. He's bawling, bloody and has thrown up twice.... once on Matt, once in the lawn. Fun times, I tell ya!!
We both immediately assume that he threw up because he was so upset, so Matt took him upstairs and put him in the bathtub. After he got cleaned up, teeth brushed, and jammies on, Matt settled him into our bed and put on a movie for him. Shortly thereafter, he threw up again, and this time it was a TON! UUUUGH.
So, we change the sheets and fix him a make shift bed on our floor. Since Andrew can't get anywhere near any type of illness this week (his surgery is next Thursday), I'm trying to keep them as "separate" as possible, while still keeping an eye on them both.
A few minutes ago, he threw up a fourth time. I feel so bad for him. He's tired, crying, begging for milk, and forced to get up so we can change the sheets AGAIN.
To top it all off, Matt is in some management seminar all day tomorrow, which means he's unreachable. UUUUUUGH. The next 24 hours could be really long. I just pray the rest of us escape this!
Monday, April 20, 2009
First meet at Chow's
Yesterday was a BIG day in Katherine's life. It was her first meet at Chow's and she couldn't wait to get in the gym and give it her all.
They had the kids broken down into 4 groups that rotated around the gym -- bars, beam, floor and vault. All of the girls in her TAG class were in her group as well as some much older girls on the recreational side that could do similar skills.
Now... the perfectionist in me would have preferred to have the girls all wear the same leotard, like they did at her previous gym. I like the unified look. Katherine liked how "special" it made her feel. However, that's just not the way Chow's does it. They can wear any leotard they want. It's much more relaxed, much more fun really.... It was set up like a real meet -- designed to give the girls a feel for what could lie ahead for them. Each of groups was led around the gym by the girls currently on the competitive team (level 5 - level 10), and then judged.
Now -- I will say this... I have NO idea how the girls were judged. I'm not sure if they were judged based on number of skills completed, how they executed those skills, etc... In any event, at the awards ceremony each girl was given a medal for competing and then a score sheet with the four events listed below. A ribbon was attached for each of the events indicating their place i.e. blue, red, etc, but it was possible for more than one girl to get a blue (or red) ribbon on each event. Any guesses on how our little Katherine did???
4 events, 4 blue ribbons. She was the ONLY one to get all blues. When she went up to the podium to collect her hardware, she was beaming and I didn't think she was ever going to put her hands back down to her side. I was so proud of her!! It was definitely one of those proud Mommy moments.
Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot this..... After the meet was over, the older girls did several tumbling passes to illustrate how the skills progressed. It was incredible to watch.... how the basic moves our girls are perfecting turn into the twisting, flipping, high passes you see in competition. Katherine's eyes were bugging out of her head. It was so great for her to see. Then..... there is a guy who used to train and coach at Chow's (his mother will be one of Katherine's coaches this summer) who is currently training at the men's "Olympic hopeful" gym (I'm not sure what it's called....) in Colorado. He did a demonstration on the rings and then showed off his tumbling passes. Oh. My. Goodness. Incredible. Who knows if he'll make it, but it'd be incredible if he did. Chow's could have kids going to the Olympics in back to back years.
I have a ton of pictures of the big day which I'll upload and edit soon. Matt also got each event on video, so if I figure out how to upload it, I'll post that as well.
They had the kids broken down into 4 groups that rotated around the gym -- bars, beam, floor and vault. All of the girls in her TAG class were in her group as well as some much older girls on the recreational side that could do similar skills.
Now... the perfectionist in me would have preferred to have the girls all wear the same leotard, like they did at her previous gym. I like the unified look. Katherine liked how "special" it made her feel. However, that's just not the way Chow's does it. They can wear any leotard they want. It's much more relaxed, much more fun really.... It was set up like a real meet -- designed to give the girls a feel for what could lie ahead for them. Each of groups was led around the gym by the girls currently on the competitive team (level 5 - level 10), and then judged.
Now -- I will say this... I have NO idea how the girls were judged. I'm not sure if they were judged based on number of skills completed, how they executed those skills, etc... In any event, at the awards ceremony each girl was given a medal for competing and then a score sheet with the four events listed below. A ribbon was attached for each of the events indicating their place i.e. blue, red, etc, but it was possible for more than one girl to get a blue (or red) ribbon on each event. Any guesses on how our little Katherine did???
4 events, 4 blue ribbons. She was the ONLY one to get all blues. When she went up to the podium to collect her hardware, she was beaming and I didn't think she was ever going to put her hands back down to her side. I was so proud of her!! It was definitely one of those proud Mommy moments.
Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot this..... After the meet was over, the older girls did several tumbling passes to illustrate how the skills progressed. It was incredible to watch.... how the basic moves our girls are perfecting turn into the twisting, flipping, high passes you see in competition. Katherine's eyes were bugging out of her head. It was so great for her to see. Then..... there is a guy who used to train and coach at Chow's (his mother will be one of Katherine's coaches this summer) who is currently training at the men's "Olympic hopeful" gym (I'm not sure what it's called....) in Colorado. He did a demonstration on the rings and then showed off his tumbling passes. Oh. My. Goodness. Incredible. Who knows if he'll make it, but it'd be incredible if he did. Chow's could have kids going to the Olympics in back to back years.
I have a ton of pictures of the big day which I'll upload and edit soon. Matt also got each event on video, so if I figure out how to upload it, I'll post that as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
